Instrumental Music FAQ

• Q: How can I help my child in the early stages of them learning an instrument? +-
  A:

  Practice is the key. Quite often the normal daily family life in the home can be detrimental to appropriate practice. Things that can be created to help are:

  • A quiet practice space, preferably away from TV and other distractions.
  • A routine where practice is a normal part of the family daily cycle. A fixed time for practice is important. Before or after school allowing 15 – 30 minutes per day for relative beginners, but up to 60 minutes for advanced students.
  • Good relationship between yourself and the instrumental teacher. These people are working one to one with your child, and will best know your child’s needs and strengths.
  • Be positive about the music they are making.
• Q: My child is learning to play from an external music teacher. Is this appropriate or do I need to enrol him/her at school for instrumental music? +-
  A:

  We do not stipulate that children must learn at school. You need to make the choice of what is best for your child and family as there are positives and negatives for either option.

  If your child is learning outside, they will have all the same opportunities within the school’s music curriculum and co-curricular activities.

  We do ask that you keep us up to date with their progress as it is useful to have this information for planning and giving recognition for achievement.

• Q: Is it realistic to expect children as young as Year 3 to remember their lesson times, especially with a rotating timetable? +-
  A:

  Successful students are responsible students and visa versa. For Middle and Senior school students, they are entirely responsible for remembering their lesson times, informing their teacher of an impending lesson and walking over in good time for their lesson.

  In Prep and Kurrajong, the instrumental teacher will always come and collect their student and return them to the class.

  Prep students should be aware of their lesson day and time, being in the habit of checking their lesson schedule that is issued to their class and reminding their teacher. 

• Q: What happens if my child is away from school for a lesson? +-
  A:

  Please remember:

  • That like you, our instrumental teachers come to work and are employed to be here for a set number of hours of the day.
  • You are the best person to know your child’s events, excursions and instrumental timetable while class teachers have up to 24 children, any number of whom could be learning an instrument.

  Texting your child’s instrumental teacher, and the school music secretary no later than 7.30am, on the day of a missed lesson for any reason, will ensure that the day may be rescheduled or you are not billed for the missed lesson.

• Q: My child has an excursion or other school event coming up. Do I need to let their teacher and the music secretary know? +-
  A:

  Yes. It is your responsibility to notify the music secretary and the instrumental teacher for any foreseeable absence from their lessons.

• Q: If my child is sick, will I still be billed for the lesson? +-
  A:

  If you notify the Music Secretary (via this email) and the Instrumental Teacher via phone or text mesage prior to 7.30am on the day, or days in advance if a prolonged illness, then the lesson can be rescheduled or your account will not be billed for that lesson.

• Q: My child was somewhere else in the school when the teacher came looking for them. Should I still have to pay for that missed lesson? +-
  A:

  Yes. Your child has some responsibility in their lesson times. In Prep, the tutors collect the child, however, their timetable is posted in music and in their classrooms. If something is taking them away from the classroom, they must notify their teacher so that they are available for their lesson.

• Q: If I want to help accelerate my child’s learning, can I get a second teacher outside of the school? +-
  A:

  In most instances this will not help your child advance. It is far more likely that your child will become confused with two different approaches and possibly conflicting instruction. We advise that you find the very best teacher available. Because of conflict, if the music department learns of a student having two teachers, the Head of Performing Arts will ask that the parent/guardians make their choice or they will be withdrawn from lessons.